Wildflower
by nicosine
Summary: It's Clary's last year at summer camp, and she's determined to make this one the best. So with that comes a series of silly pranks (on the boys, of course), wild parties, cannonballs into Lake Lyn, and her unmistakable, indecipherable, yet annoying feelings for her longtime frenemy, Jace Herondale.
1. one

_**author's note:** *crawls out of barrel* hi! does anyone remember me? well i'm back here after falling off the face of this archive for a year, and well... here i am with this new story :'D_

_enjoy!_

* * *

**wildflower**

* * *

...

Clary Fray shoved the last of her stuff into her suitcase before standing back to glance at herself in the full-body mirror. She was short, pale and freckled, her wildfire curls scraped up in a ponytail, a feat she was surprised that she had managed to accomplish.

She wasn't gorgeous. She wasn't even pretty. But she knew that she was going to rock her last year at Lake Lyn. After so many fake faces, makeup-caked skanks, and failed first talent show auditions, she knew she would nail it this time.

It was also the last time she would see Jace Herondale, her frenemy.

Her heart… no… _insides _squeezed together, for some part of her still cared whether or not he was still dating that annoying blonde _hor_ from cabin five, Kaelie Whitewillow. Today would mark one year, if he still did.

Maia walked into the room, her lips spreading into a wide smile. "You ready, Clary?"

The redhead took a deep breath and returned her friend's enthusiastic grin with one of her own. "Yes."

"You look kinda nervous," Her best friend said, sidling up to her. "Calm your nerves, Fray. But I understand. It's your last time to try make up with Jace after years and years of sexual tension, right?"

Clary made a grossed-out face and turned to playfully slap Maia. "Ew, where did that come from, May? No!"

Maia giggled. "You see, Clary, all the girls of cabin three have this bet where..."

Promptly a call from downstairs, whose voice Clary recognized as her mother's, cut Maia off. Part of her was relieved that she wouldn't have to listen to the rest of what Maia had to say, because frankly she didn't want to hear it. _"Girls! Picture time!"_

There was nothing between herself and Jace Herondale. He was a total _dick._

Clary smiled weakly before turning to Maia, offering her her arm. "Leggo!"

...

After their annual pre-camp photo was snapped, Clary kissed both Jocelyn and Luke on their cheeks before lugging her suitcase onto the trunk of Simon's van. After assisting May with hers, Clary kicked back into the front seat of the van before announcing, "Shotgun!"

Simon, her other best friend, was already in the driver's seat. "Hey, May, Fray." He grinned. "We ready?"

Clary smiled at his greeting. It always made her smile, for she always thought that it was something that would interlink them no matter what. "Yup."

"You got all your panties?"

Clary rolled her eyes and dug her elbow into his ribs. "Yes."

"May?" He looked up at the rearview mirror. "Your fake blood?"

She snorted. "Yep. Drive."

Simon drove for three hours with a pee break in-between, and after that they were there. They were then standing in front of the painted entrance of Camp Lake Lyn, the sunglass-wearing sun on the sign smiling bright. Clary grinned. She was at home away from home.

The trio ran in like giddy children pouncing for the free sample candy they gave out at M&amp;S, dragging their suitcases after them. They signed up and parted ways with Simon, who headed in the opposite direction to the boys' bunks. Clary and Maia began making their way towards the girls' side, passing Lake Lyn in the process.

People were sitting cross-legged on the large meadow beside Lake Lyn, which they called the Green. One of them, Clary spotted, was Izzy Lightwood. Stylish as always, she had a floppy-yet-adorable sunhat placed atop her inky black hair, the look pulled together with a printed sundress.

"Izzy!" Clary called out, stopping in her tracks. Isabelle turned, looked up, and lifted her sunglasses from her face.

It was then did she crash fullspeed into Clary and Maia, her long arms wrapping around them both. "Hi! I missed you guys!"

"It's so good to be back!" Relieved and happy to see her seemingly long-lost friends again, Clary sat down onto the Green, inviting them for a long catch-up over the months they had missed together.

Isabelle straightened once Maia finished speaking of her failed date with Eric, one of Simon's weird bandmates. "Speaking of boys, Clary," a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Do you have any new boy toys we don't know of back home?"

Clary pinched her eyebrows together, shaking her head vigorously. "Nope. I'm an independent woman who needs no man."

"Well," She spoke, "Come on, Clary! Still we better find you one, because you're the only gal around here who hasn't dated somebody."

Clary flushed red. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we all know that you've got your eyes on—" Izzy was cut off when another familiar voice, obviously masculine, interrupted their girls' bonding time. "Hey, ladies."

Jace Herondale, 5'11 foot tall with a newly acquired tan, sauntered into the scene, proceeding to fold his hands on top of Clary's head. "Am I interrupting?"

Thawing from her second-long freeze, Clary jerked her head to get his hands off her curls. Her green eyes then flashed up to look at him from the ground. "Yeah. So go away."

"Where's Alec?" Isabelle asked her brother.

She heard Maia mumble something along the lines of "speak of the Devil and he shall appear" before Jace responded to her demand. "Alec's somewhere else, probably with that Magnus dude." He rolled his eyes. "And good day to you too, Carrottop."

"Your nickname game has weakened considerably," Clary pointed out, seething over _Carrottop._ "That's one of the worse you've got."

She could feel Jace grin without looking at him. "Okay, then. How about _Raggedy Ann?"_

Clary closed her eyes. "Go away, Jace Herondale! Nobody likes you!"

"Deal settled," He grinned, settling next to her on the grass. "Raggedy Ann."

She was about to slap him across the face when she decided to take the time to study him instead, thoroughly taking in all his curly-haired, amber-eyed glory with her hand poised mid-air.

Briefly she wondered if he was doing the same too. Her thoughts were interrupted when he spoke, "You look kinda different, shorty. You've grown."

"Only grandmas say that," She responded with a quip. "But is it a good different or a bad different?"

_Whoa. Where'd that come from?_

"A good different," He announced, taking on a much gentler tone. "But always the same."

With that, she was momentarily left for no words, for her mind was abruptly lapsed in an incoherent daze. What the hell was _that?_

Soon she was shook out of her reverie when Jace spoke again, saying, "You have drool running out of your mouth, Raggedy Ann. Charming."

Promptly Clary shut her mouth, her cheeks bright red, and scowled at Jace Herondale's retreating back as he called out, "Bye, ladies, and shorty!"

"_Prick!" _She shouted at him in return, reacting two seconds too late. When she realized that both her friends were still there, legs folded on the grass, eyes fixed on her, her gaze returned meekly to the two before she apologized. "Did I ignore you guys?"

They were smiling. "Nah. It's fine, Clare," Maia offered. "Now why don't we actually go unpack?"

With a nod, Clary stood up from the grass, her face still the color of her hair, and brushed the green bits off of her butt. She grabbed her suitcase and left the Green, following her two companions as they headed straight to cabin three of Camp Lake Lyn.

* * *

_**a/n: **shoutout to raph, who was the inspiration for maia's fake blood! :'D_

_whew! and i'm done with this first short-ass introductory chapter._

_any thoughts, suggestions, comments? put those in your reviews! more lil' clace moments will definitely happen in the next chapter ;)_

_until then!_

_-nicole_


	2. two

**_author's note:_ **_WOW. you guys are amazing. 12 reviews, 12 favs and 28 follows for one chapter? thank you guys so, so much! :D this update was quick because i was doing this instead of my homework... and it's 1am right now... well. here's a slightly longer chapter, but it's not the maximum limit. they'll gradually get longer._

_anyway, here are the responses to your awesome reviews!_

_**JustDon'tFlickrrr:** thank you so much! ahahha the grammar. :'D_

_**sharday . lowery:** ;) i'm excited for them too_

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_**All 5 Guests:** thanks! _

_[to the other guest]: m8 it's been a day since i posted this story but here's the new chapter. thanks, tho ahahha_

_**kclare21:** thank you for the suggestions! i will definitely use some of those:)_

**_AnnieBea: _**_like i said in the PM, yep. soooooon_

**_mans &amp; serry: _**_HI GUYS_

_but anyway, yeah! enjoy, peepssss_

* * *

...

**clary**

By the time they got there, everyone else was already milling about. They were making their beds and were tacking up old posters, customizing their personal spaces. Clary strolled in as she took in the wonderful sight of the paradise she had shared with her friends for the past seven years— there was nothing special about the cabin, really, and nothing had changed— but the place meant so much to her.

"And we're complete!" Aline Penhallow called out from her bunk as she proceeded to clamber down the ladder, running straight to the trio for a hug. "Cabin three of Lake Lyn!"

Music blared in the background as Clary jumped right into the arms of her camp friends, squealing and chattering as they once again, reunited after a whole year of exhausting school. Sure, they'd spent countless nights Skype calling, trading music back and forth, but Clary felt closer to them than she did with anyone back at home. Well, except for her parents, Maia and Simon. But again, her best friends attended the camp _with _her.

But anyway, she was very glad to see them.

Taking in the fresh scent of the crisp air-conditioning, Airhead candy and Celine's A&amp;F perfume, they sat in a circle together on the floor, legs crossed. Together they began gushing about whatever cute new boy they had seen earlier, the new techniques they would apply for this year's Capture the Flag, and more vivid recollections of old scrapbook memories.

She threw on her old Camp Lake Lyn tee before rejoining the circle, plopping herself down on the space left for her as she slipped a pellet of bubble gum into her mouth. "Orientation's at two, right?"

Sophie offered a quick nod. "Same time, same place. We've got another thirty minutes before we have to go."

So they carried on with their girl-talk, Clary passing out pieces of her bubblegum in the process. Soon they were catching up on camp gossip, and Clary leaned forward with the dreaded question hanging from her tongue— "How are Jace and Kaelie?"

She had no idea what she felt against them, really. They were both blonde and gorgeous. Irritating and egotistic. Were both whores, and had taunted her some point early in her life. Kaelie had been a lot worse, though.

But as far as she was concerned, they were a perfect match…?

"I've heard that they were on the breaking point, Clare," Celine offered. "Guess he wasn't really _content _with her."

"So it wasn't a summer fling?" Clary pressed, reminiscing of last year's summer. "They kept dating after last year?"

"Yeah," She said. "But Kaelie looked kind of upset today, though. She was wearing a black bralette. Her skirt was five inches above her knee. Annd she was crying her eyes out, even though it's her _one year anniversary."_

"Weren't they on-off, on-off?"

Clary raised an eyebrow. "Didn't she dress like Sailor Moon— well, like a _matron _Sailor Moon last year?"

The others giggled. "Well, there's no telling whether or not Jace broke up with her," Sophie spoke. "She probably thinks Jace likes that kind of… _provocativeness. _But anyway, it's your time to shine, Clary!"

Everyone then seemed to have big, sweet smiles pasted on their features.

"You what, mate?" She asked again, confused. "Guys, for the _last time. _I don't like Jace. He's so vain, so… annoying,and his ego's as big as Manhattan. I don't care about him."

"Yeah, say all you want, Clare," Maia said, grinning as she looked to her wrist for her watch. "We've got five minutes before we have Orientation. Wanna go, guys?"

The girls didn't object. Soon enough they were out of the cabin, their flip-flops kicking as they headed over to the main hall. Others were piling out of their rooms, too, and soon she caught the eye of the inhabitants of cabin give, their bleached locks looking even more platinum than usual.

Somehow Clary caught the eye of the skimpily dressed Kaelie Whitewillow, whose chilly blue gaze— though the whites of her eyes were tainted with red— disheartened her for a second. But no, she wasn't about to let that really get to her. _Honestly, what is it that she wants?_

People were milling about the Main Hall, shuffling about to find seats as the Head of Camp, Imogen, adjusted and readjusted the microphone that would soon deliver their usual Orientation speech. Briefly she caught sight of Kaelie strutting over to Jace's side, doing whatever. Clary looked away before she saw anything else.

The thoughts of earlier today still hadn't left her mind. What was _that _even about?

The booming sound of Imogen's voice silenced the chattering. Satisfied as it had again worked, Imogen plucked the microphone from the stand and stood back. "Welcome back to the old campers, and a warm welcome to the newcomers! I assume you've all had a delightful year, have you?"

The crowd offered her a couple _yeses_ and many _nos. _

She chuckled. "Well, some of you are heading into your senior years now, aren't you? You'll be here for a little freshening, and in you go for another fantastic year. Same goes for you Juniors and lower!"

Clary did admire Imogen, but after three minutes or so she was already eager to get out of there and carry on with her first-day activities. She had heard the same speech, year after year, and really, she had gotten to the point where she had managed to memorize some of what the HoC said.

"...For the today's activities, we'll have more free time until five, then we'll eat dinner. After that we will have the return party!"

Clary's smile held a touch of sadness to it. The party would mark the beginning of the end.

Soon after Orientation, she stood from her seat and made her way back to the Green for free time. Some scampered passed her, heading towards the lake, endeavoring to dunk themselves in. With a shrug, Clary followed the others without waiting for her friends and propelled herself clumsily into the waters, fully-dressed and all.

When her head rose from the surface, almost everybody was jumping into the water. The girl turned and swum towards the shallow end, where the water gradually ended in a tiny strip of sand shielded by the foliage of nearby trees.

Clary sat herself onto a sturdy, half run-down branch, dangling her bare feet midair. She surveyed the sight of her campmates— laughing, splashing, shrieking as they sprayed at each other with water guns. This was a tradition, really, the _Dunkfest, _and traditions never got old. They would never break it.

For the second time that day, Jace's voice broke through her thoughts. Clary spotted him, then, his golden hair wet, sitting with his legs stretched out on the small space directly below where she was.

The sun was beating down on him through cracks in the shield of leaves, beams of sunlight casting intricate, leaf-shaped patterns upon his features. "Hey. Having fun, Rags?"

"Why do you keep showing up on me today like a bad case of herpes?" She demanded, training her gaze not to look at, through his wet white shirt, the outline of his six-packed chest. _I bet he does it on purpose._

Jace snickered at her comment before saying, "Well, it's the last time. You could try and have a little fun, if you aren't."

"Who says I'm not?"

He shrugged. "If something similar to this happens again in your future, still it'll never be the same."

"Why are you being so fricking cryptic today?" Clary spoke, thinking of the words he had said earlier. Involuntarily an instantaneous pinkness spread briefly across her cheeks.

He shrugged, turning to look at the people. "It's probably the start of the last time I'll ever see you, shorty. Why not tell you about the meaning of life?"

"I know one for you," Clary spoke, rolling her eyes as she shifted on her feet. "Date, break, retake."

His golden eyes were dark. "What about you, then? Eat, sleep, freak, repeat?"

She smiled. "That's universal. Yours isn't."

He scowled, but still he stood up and reached forwards to ruffle her hair. "It's painstakingly sad how bad you think of me, but in some ways, that is true." He turned to her and flashed her a Cheshire grin. "I am an experienced man, but I am not a man_whore."_

"How?"

"I don't do it for fun," He said simply. "I don't do it just for the sake of it."

"What, then?" Clary inquired. "There can't be a logical reason why."

"I do it to get over my…" He paused, eyebrows scrunched together. "Myself."

"What?" She spoke the one sharp syllable, eyebrows scrunched together. "Define _that, _or spare me your nonsense."

He'd seemed to pick the latter of the two, because without another word, he turned and swum away. Honestly, what on Earth was he trying to tell her?

Another thought, something more familiar Jace-wise, struck her mind. Of course. Jace could be attempting to screw with her mind when he was speaking falsely of the exact thing he was doing.

She glared at his back as he pushed past the people and stood up at the other side of the lake. And she'd forgotten to ask him about Kaelie.

Honestly, _why_ did she give two craps?

* * *

**_author's note:_ **_jace wat u doin_

_more clace next with hints of other shippings woohooo! the next chapter will probably be the dance with the twist..._

_thoughts? love it, hate it? suggestions, comments, ideas, predictions? leave those in your reviews! xx_

_-nicole_


	3. three

_**author's note: **heyheyheyheyheyehyehyehye_

_and here's the new update, four days later! thank you all for your amazing reviews, you all make my day! here are all the responses:D_

_**lindsayhonaker: **AYYY i know! and yeeep jace will keep his lips sealed for now ;)_

_**vedika . patel . 79:** thank you! xx_

_**Eruditeviolinfreak:** thanks! here's the update yooo_

_**queeraleciscanon:** LOL your username and yes there definitely will be malec soon ehehehhe_

_**Guest:** thankies!_

_**loves:** here's the update! :)_

_**MortalKd1997:** ehehehe yep there are 7 people in the cabin i think. thanks!_

_**Fangirl . Army:** thanks! jace will probably not be figured out :'D_

_**Hendrikaxxx: **thank you! yessss kaelie will definitely pop in soon... _

_i've added in something that happened years ago from clary's POV, something in resemblance to a flashback. i might include more of these in the near future, possibly in jace's POV. suggestions? but anyway, enjoy! :)_

* * *

...

**clary**

_**six years earlier**_

Maia Roberts, her trusty best friend, grabbed another piece of her frizzy red hair and again separated it into three sections. "Don't listen to that jerk, Clary. Your hair is nice. Your freckles are cute."

"No barbies have carotty hair like mine," Ten-year-old Clary responded, tugging on a stray piece.

Maia wrinkled her nose. "You still play with barbies?"

"I used to," Clary spoke as she stared at herself in the mirror. Maia had spent the entire of the free time during the first day of camp braiding and unbraiding her hair, occasionally switching the hairties for ribbons and neon beads and other accessories. Right now she was tying the braid with a bright blue hairtie.

Isabelle Lightwood, the pretty sister of the blonde boy, walked in. They had met for six hours, but Clary already got along with her well. Unlike her connection with Izzy's brother.

Her long dark hair was held in a high ponytail up on her head. "Don't listen to my brother, Clary. He's a troublemaker."

Later on she wore the braids-and-short-suspenders ensemble out to dinner and was almost immediately laughed at by the cute blonde girls with the plastic pink purses. Seelie and Kaelie, their names were. They kind of reminded Clary of female versions of Jace.

That was the name of that boy who had called her names, that idiot who was Izzy's brother. Jace. Sure, he was handsome, but he was a jerkwad.

Later on there was more free time. There was a supposed kiddy party, but instead everybody started playing Tag on the Green.

Clary was one of many who sprung away from Jace when he was tagged as It. Unsurprisingly she was the first person that he went after, and he was one that could definitely outrun a girl.

Jace's palms slammed into her back, knocking her over so that she fell to the ground face-first. "TAG!" He shrieked. "You're _IT, _Carrot!_"_

"You didn't need to push me, _jerk!"_

She didn't get up from the ground once everybody started running, trying to get away from her. They didn't realize that she wasn't going to go in pursuit of them. Even if they knew, Clary doubted that they would care, anyway.

Jace's whooping grew faint as he ran farther and farther away from her.

...

_**present day**_

Later that night, Clary entered the doors to the Main Hall. The space was transformed— the wooden tables were all draped in velvet, the curtains long and ballroomy— How had the committee managed to piece this together in such a short amount of time? The area was dimly lit with the diluted glow from the strings of fairy lights— it made the place seem serenely dreamlike.

The space was filled with people, though. It wasn't exactly jam-packed, but it sure was full. The crowds were on the dance floor, their hands up in the air, swaying their bodies to Open Mic. A few minutes earlier Izzy had squealed at the sight of the microphone and had disappeared because they could catch her.

Miraculously she made it to a cream couch and plopped down onto an empty spot, the person across a curly headed boy with his earphones plugged in. Probably one of the people who rarely made an appearance.

She sat at the edge of the sofa, surfing through the crowds of people for somebody she knew. More specifically, a someone with blonde hair and amber eyes. What had been up earlier, and what was with that conflicted look on his features? Jace Herondale was never unsure about himself.

In fact, today marked the one year anniversary of Jaelie. Inwardly Clary made a face. Jace and Kaelie had hooked up on the dance floor during this party last year, so she expected them to be somewhere rejoicing.

Maia plopped down next to her with two strong-scented drinks in her hands, the liquid a bright orange. Clary peered into the paper cup once she got hold of one of them. "Punch?"

"Mhm," Her friend nodded. _"Citrouille."_

"Pumpkin punch," Clary clarified. "Will it make me ditzy?"

Maia rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "You know CLL protocol. Strictly no alcohol. Though Celine's broken it..."

Clary took one sip, turned her eyes onto the crowds of dancing people, and to the brunette girl standing on stage for Open Mic. Jace's previous words resurfaced— _you could try and have a little fun._

_Yes, it is, it is my last year here. I'll have the most fun I can._

She placed the drink down somewhere and turned to face Maia, only to see her with her back turned, chatting heartily to the secluded, brown-haired guy that had been at the end of the couch. He was now holding one earphone as Maia spoke to him, the other between his fingers.

Clary shrugged, muttered to Maia to have fun before getting up from the couch. Shuffling to the edge of the dance floor, she proceeded to go with the flow— everybody else was doing the same, waving their arms, swaying their hips.

Although she had genuinely enjoyed the previous time spent (jeez, she had no idea there were that many good singers in Camp Lake Lyn), Clary was at a loss when they got to the slow dance song moments later.

Choosing to exclude herself from the throng of slow dancers, she proceeded to push past the masses and head clumsily out. What she didn't see was the sight of Jace staring at her from the center of the dance floor, a conflicted, irritated, incredulous Kaelie held in his arms.

...

Clary left the party with Maia after spotting her alone at the corner of the hall. They managed to make it back to the cabin at nine (a whole hour before curfew), for they were good girls and that everyone else was not. They were then, the only people in the room.

Maia's mocha cheeks were glowing.

"Did you have a good time tonight, May?" Clary inquired, studying the dazed expression on her friend's face. "You were getting pretty _close _with that guy on the couch…"

She shook her head. "No! Jeez, we just talked for like, five minutes!"

"Who even is he, anyway?" Clary responded to her hurried answer, attempting to associate his face with a name. She was certain that she'd seen him sometime in archery two years ago, but after that she had no memories of him.

"Clary, you're like, _most experienced _here. You've never seen him?" Maia canted her head. "His name's Jordan, and he's from _cabin eight."_

"Cabin eight?" She raised her eyebrows, thinking of all the people that belonged in that room. _Jace, _Alec and all their popular friends. "He puts up with them?"

Maia grinned. "Miraculously."

"Or is he one of them? Jace's gang?" But she doubted it, for if this Jordan was, then she would know.

There was a gleam in the brown of her eyes. "No, not really. He doesn't talk to them, but he's probably seen Jace's boxers. Maybe even Jace _in _boxers. Or _maybe—"_

Clary was flustered. "Shut up, Maia!"

Maia began to laugh, and so they continued to together laugh the night away. At exactly eleven, the rest of the girls burst into the cabin.

"The shame of breaking curfew for the first night shall follow you for the rest of your lives," Maia announced as they stumbled in. "Where were you guys? Cabin thirteen?"

Celine's eyes were on Clary's. "Jace and Kaelie broke up. For good."

She choked on the Sprite she was chugging down. Well, it looked like they had missed a lot. "What?"

She confirmed it with a nod. "On their one year anniversary. Well, not counting the on-offs because they were simply cooling down from red hot sex when they were in those stages."

Clary placed her cup down. Sure, Kaelie was a bitch, but that was one thing and this was another. "Who breaks up with their girlfriend on their _one year anniversary?"_

"Jace," Sophie answered without missing a beat.

A strange part of her was screaming with joy, but the others did their best to try and counter it away.

Aline wriggled her eyebrows. "Looks like Jace is back on the market."

"Please don't put it that way," Clary sputtered. "What exactly happened, anyway?"

Celine shrugged. "Dunno. Jace just… told her they were over when they were slow dancing in the party or something. Then Kaelie started crying and he walked away, apparently. I managed to snag information from the cabin sixers. Seelie told them. News certainly spreads quickly."

Clary nodded, her brow furrowed. Seelie was Kaelie's best friend, and she was in good relations with the girls of cabin six. Who were friendly with Celine.

Tessa piped up. "I saw her leaving the hall crying her eyes out."

Isabelle folded her long legs so that she was sitting cross-legged on the carpet. "When we were at the Green she drunk-danced over to me and told me to tell Jace to go _bleep_ himself, since I'm his sister and all. She was with her friends."

Clary frowned, for there were two options. Jace had either broken up with Kaelie to either upgrade or to "get over himself".

So, which one seemed more likely?

Completely disregarding Jace's words, a deep scowl proceeded to fall upon Clary's features. "I don't feel sorry for Kaelie, but Jace is pulling another one of his douchebag moves. He's still not gotten his shit together, after all these years."

But some unwanted feeling caused her heart to skip a beat. Now there wasn't anything holding Jace back, really. He had no girlfriend, neither did she. What she did have were strong feelings against him… or the opposite.

_Huh?_

Izzy looked as if she was about to say something, but she didn't.

"Well, good for him," Maia spoke with a dry edge to her tone. "Can we change the subject now?"

None of the girls seemed particularly hyped up to discuss more about the breakup, so instead they started talking about so-and-so that had happened during the party.

Turning down an offer for a round of Truth or Dare, Clary went to the bathroom to clean up. Following that she showered, collapsed onto her bed and slowly began to drift off as recalled the events of the first day within her mind, the occasional whisper from one of her roommates breaking through the stillness of her sleep.

* * *

_**author's note: **ooooo so they broke up. gg._

_more of these tmi shippings will come soon (with malec, don't worry) but for now we have hints of clace and jaia. who do you guys want in next? _

_so, what did you think? please review, it means a lot to me! :D_

_-nicole_


	4. four

_**author's note: **alrighty, i made it just in time for my within-a-week updating schedule! here i'm back with a weird, kind of different(ish) chapter 4. spring break just started for me, so i'll be able to update more frequently (hopefully). :D_

_as usual, these are the responses to your amazing reviews!_

**_Guest:_**_ thank you! about the jace POV, we might soon :D_

**_Meeeeeee:_**_ thankyouthankyouthankyou! will we see more of douchebag jace? hmmm;)_

**_Hendrikaxxx: _**_might. maybe i'll incorporate one or two at the end of this story... teehee_

**_melissahopkin. student: _**_like i said in my PM, there will be clace soon. don't worry._

**_Echomuse: _**_here's your update ayyy_

**_Nat2the01:_**_ thank you! i try hard:D_

**_serry:_**_ HI AGAIN *accepts cookie* _

**_shortcomings:_**_ aww thank you! here's your update! :D_

**_BookWormProud: _**_thanks! hoping you'll like this chapter x_

_chapter 4, here goes..._

* * *

...

**clary**

Clary woke up at six in the morning. How, she did not know, and clearly nobody else was awake yet.

The pale orb that was the sun was slowly making its way above the trees, the burst of light tainting the sky with a soft yellow sheen. The sunbeams streamed through the windows of the cabin, casting square patches of light on the carpeted floor.

Careful not to disturb her roommates, Clary returned to her bedside table for her sketchbook. She then retrieved a handful of her Prismacolor pencils before heading out of the cabin, towards the lake.

She situated herself on a comfortable spot on the Green and faced to sit wherever she could see the rising sun. Plain color pencils weren't for a landscape like this, she knew for a fact, but art was limitless. Besides, these were watercolor pencils.

And so she began to sketch what she saw. She wasn't even halfway through the outline when somebody spoke her name amidst the faint chirping of the morning birds. "Clary?"

Clary looked up to see Alec Lightwood, brother of Jace and Izzy. Smiling, she proceeded to greet him properly, for he was less of a douche than how his brother was. Oh, how Jace stood out from the Lightwood siblings, with their inky hair and pale skin and dark beauty. _His_ radiance was, on the other hand, a different kind, for he was one that reminded her of a lion. Or of the sun.

"Hey, Alec," She said brightly. "Didn't catch you yesterday."

He settled next to her on the grass, wrapping his arms around his long legs. "Chose not to show up."

Briefly she remembered Izzy questioning Jace of Alec's location yesterday, and he informing her of somebody named Magnus and how he was keeping his brother company. She knew that Magnus, in fact, was a rainbow-haired guy with a fascination for glitter and Lady Gaga. "So why're you up so early?"

"Dunno. To see the sun rising, I guess." He shrugged casually. "I would ask the same, but I see the reason. Did I bother you when you were in your art zone, though?"

She shook her head. "No, not at all."

They sat in comfortable silence as Clary continued working. Alec's gaze was fixed on the sky, and beyond that, the sun.

"So, Jace and Kaelie broke up," He stated.

Clary hummed in an irritated manner. "Yes, they did."

"So…"

"Breaking up with his girlfriend the day they started dating," Clary spoke, channeling her contempt towards the image of him she'd conjured up in her mind. "A smooth Jace move. He's such a—"

_But didn't your stomach drop the day everyone started talking about their hookup?_

"He probably did it for someone else, you know," Alec said, brushing his dark hair away from his face, his piercing blue gaze falling upon her own.

Clary snickered. "Doesn't he always? Or maybe, he did it to _get over himself." _

Alec's expression was wary. "He used to be one of my crushes, you know," He spoke abruptly, reminding Clary that he wasn't straight. He had confessed to her last year, and ever since that he'd trusted her. "I know, how disgusting."

_Well, still that escalated quickly. _

She choked. "Wait— _Seriously? _But you're like, his brother? How? Why?_"_

He nodded. "Yeah, I know. But like, still, it's possible to love him as a human, and not as a player. I had a crush on him once, and that wasn't for his looks or for his facade."

"What— What are you saying? What are you trying to tell me, Alec?" Clary asked him, bewildered.

Alec shrugged. "Give him a shot."

"Huh?"

"Just try giving him a shot, Clary," He said, unwinding his arms from his legs to lie flat on his back. The look on his face said that he was not going to say any more about that, and so leaving her frustrated. What the hell was with people and the way they cut her off with undecipherable answers?

"So you don't love him anymore," She said.

"Brotherly, yes. Romantically, no. I couldn't like him like that, anyway. It's wrong on so many levels."

Clary nodded understandingly. "But still, why?"

"Because he's a lost cause."

"Huh?"

Alec shook his head, so she returned to her drawing. Sighing inwardly, she began to sketch the waving waters of Lake Lyn.

...

Taking the faint thrum of trashy boyband music as a sign that her friends were awake, Clary walked back to her cabin and entered the doors. They were, in fact, awake, and so Clary got herself ready with them before heading towards the Main Hall with her companions.

After breakfast, people would then file into the separate camp activities that they'd signed up for. Clary had, as always, ticked the boxes for Visual Arts, Archery, and Water Sports, along with a few additional subjects.

Slathering butter onto the toast, she was well aware of the decorations from last night, which weren't taken down just yet, something Clary was fine with. What she was _not _fine with was Kaelie's cold stare digging into the back of her neck.

Her green eyes flickered back from where Kaelie sat. "What the hell? It's not my fault Jace broke up with her."

Maia rolled her eyes. "Jace is in love with you. She'll give you a hard time because of that."

"He isn't in love with me," Clary said, genuinely annoyed for once. Normally she would have been stammering, but this time she wasn't.

_Jace Herondale is incapable of love._

_Give him a shot. He's human._

_I am very, very confused._

The others seemed to have knowing looks plastered on their faces, but didn't say any more. Clary didn't, either.

And so she craned her neck to search for Jace. He was a few tables away, blowing straw wrappers at his friends, oblivious to the surrounding gossip and Kaelie's chilling glare.

_No. See?_

Soon after breakfast, they departed the Main Hall towards their activities. Clary headed towards the art studio, which was situated somewhere up a gentle slope, directly north of the lake. Walking through the familiar, paneled doors, she smiled at the sight of the paint-covered walls, her art friends, Madame Dorothea, and finally the large CLL banner they'd made last year, hanging from one side of the room to another.

She sat down onto her usual seat in the front row, knowing fully well that Simon wasn't going to show up this year. After all, he'd formed his own band in the middle of Junior year, so of course he was going to take that band class CLL provided to absorb as much knowledge. She'd been upset when Simon had first announced it, for they'd taken art every year, but again he was passionate about his band life. Besides, he was going to be around her at archery.

Art had been full as long as she'd known, but with one spot open, somebody was most likely to take it.

Idly her fingers reached down to play with the letters she'd carved onto her desk last year, tracing the letters that spelled out C-L-A-R-Y. She'd been here long enough, she'd decided, to leave a mark so that it would stick with her forever.

Madame Dorothea briefly began to take attendance, and so Clary stuck up her hand when Dorothea called for her name. Everybody had arrived, it seemed, but it looked as if there was somebody missing. Someone in Simon's place.

"We still have somebody left," She announced at the group. "Simon left to join another class, so it seems we have Jace filling in for him."

_Wait, what?_

"Jace?" Clary repeated, taken aback.

"Jace Herondale," Dorothea said. "He—"

The door swung open once more, and in bounded Jace Herondale. "Here," He reported, running one hand through his tousled hair. His amber eyes then fell upon the group, scanning through the whispering girls before they landed on Clary— A grin then broke across his face. "Sorry I'm late."

"No matter," Madame Dorothea spoke, smiling at him. "This is not quite a school lesson. Welcome, Jace."

Clary covered her face with both her hands, groaning. _Why…_

After he'd thanked Dorothea, he began to scrutinize the space for a place to sit. Because he had to, he made his way over to the seat beside Clary, _Simon's _seat and sat down.

"Hey, Shorty."

"Sit somewhere else," She mumbled to him, her insides ablaze (was it anger, or what?), her eyes anywhere but his face. "I'm sure there are many others who actually _want_ to sit with you."

The cheerful grin remained on his lips. "No."

Clary sighed. For a moment, she was simply, plainly, tired. "Why are you here? You hate drawing."

He gave a firm nod. "You are correct. But I didn't want to be around my, uh, _ex, _who I was forced to attend cupcake decorating or whatever with. So I saw this empty spot which your friend had recently given up—"

"Congratulations on your breakup, by the way," She quickly interrupted him, unsettled as she was once more reminded of his situation. The way he looked, the way how he didn't seem to be affected in any way whatsoever, unnerved her. "I assume you did it to get over yourself."

The brightness in his infuriating smile diminished slightly. He was about to open his mouth to say something when Dorothea's voice stopped him. "Enough chatter, Jace, Clary."

Clary turned back from Jace to look at the teacher, trying her best to focus.

"...Directness, stability, conceptual, a piece of art that can clearly state what it is doing," Madame Dorothea continued. "These points are exactly what we're going to be focusing on for our artworks. This year, we are going to be attempting exactly the same with one of the office walls here in CLL. Has anyone seen the outside wall of Imogen's office?"

Clary must have missed some crucial details when she'd been talking to Jace. _Wall art? _She guessed, while doing her best to ignore Jace's presence.

Everyone nodded in response to Madame Dorothea's question.

There was a smile on her teacher's face brightened. "I was planning to cover the walls today with plain paint. After that we can officially begin brainstorming the details, accordingly to what we just discussed. A weird order, I know, but we didn't want the walls to get gritty."

Clary blowed air from her nose, for painting a wall in the sun with Jace— while talking about his breakup— did sound like fun.

* * *

_**author's note: **this was more of a... a... filler? i know it was kind of weird, but things will speed up next chapter. _

_so, what do you think will happen next? ;)_

_ please review! it'll mean a lot to me x_

_-nicole_


	5. five

_**author's note: **hi. quick update! i procrastinated on my essays because i just had to finish writing this chapter, you authors all know that feel..._

_UPDATE: short chapter. more of weird jace &amp; confused clary. confused, confused thoughts. eh._

_review responses!_

**_CrazyMeReally:_**_ aw, thanks so much! i'm glad you like this story and is deeming this one of the best. that means a lot to me!:)_

**_Eruditeviolinfreak: _**_here it is ahah_

**_bookaddict223:_**_ thanks! here's your next chapter x_

**_lindsayhonaker: _**_nope. he doesn't. eeee_

**_Guest:_**_ thank youuuu! ayeee clary_

**_Meeeeee:_**_ counting all the 'e's in your username like... ehehehe. anyway, yeah! jace is probably in love with her, but the thing is, they both have no clue:P_

**_Cheery Tropay Venturi: _**_there will definitely be more clalec in the near future! ikr, i knew i liked their friendship the moment i started writing it down ehehehe. here's the chapter! x_

**_Hendrikaxxx:_**_ oooo YAAAAS_

**_kclare21:_**_ thank you for the suggies! jace pov is a definite yes! i'll find a way to incorporate that in_

_annnnd that's about it. enjoy!_

* * *

...

**clary**

Jace set down two buckets of orange paint onto the ground, curling and uncurling his palms as he did so. "I must say, I'm kind of impressed. We were in the studio for three minutes."

"She's a straightforward woman," She muttered. Part of Clary wanted to bring up what they'd discussed earlier, but the other suggested it was best not to. And so she let it off, for now, anyway. "Though why she choose this color? It's weird. For this wall, anyway."

A devilish glint appeared in the gold of his eyes, then. "But, I mean, it's the same color as your hair, right?"

Angrily she said, "Shut up. My hair's _red. _I thought we'd already established that ages ago."She then was about to make a comment on how lemony _his_ hair was when Dorothea started speaking.

"The scraping job was finished by the committee over your school year, so all we have to do now is paint over it," She described, clutching a roller in one hand as she gestured to the freshly scraped wall. It was now composed of the original dull grey.

At their blinking faces, Dorothea proceeded to make a gesture with her hands. "You can begin now! It doesn't require much guidance to paint a wall, does it? Start wherever you like, I trust you to work cooperatively."

Clary grabbed a bucket and assigned herself to one corner of the wall, dipping the flat paintbrush into the paint until it was entirely coated in red. Following that she gave a long, smooth stroke across the surface.

She'd worked in peace for fifteen minutes, having covered a section of the wall, when two hands fell on her shoulders. "See, Clary? CLL probably issued this color in honor of your remarkable hair. When you leave, y'know."

"Oh?" She began, shrugging Jace's hands off her shoulders as she switched to a new tactic. Fifteen minutes in, and he'd probably done nothing except for fraternizing with the girls and/or goofing around. Typical behavior, especially after being a dumper. "Remarkable? Can you also call it _flattering?"_

He snorted. "Flattering? That? No, that's an entirely different story. Somebody else might be able to work the magic, though."

Clary had trained herself not to pay any attention to cutting remarks (or responses) about her hair, although they were endless. At school, normally, though there was always Jace at camp. Rolling her eyes, the beginnings of a smile started at the corners of her mouth. "Honestly, Jace. You're not funny." She leaned in, trying to ignore how close she was to him. "But do you think you could demonstrate that?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Me? Of course. Anything'll work on me."

She grinned cheekily and jumped up, dipping her paintbrush freshly into the bucket. "Well then, here goes!"

A frown began at his brow, probably realizing what her intentions were. "Maybe not _literally—" _He was cut off as Clary bounced up, swiping at his blonde hair with her paint-coated brush. Bull's eye. A large streak was painted down the middle section of his hair, an orangey-red against gold.

She giggled and said, "Maybe I can do something there so it looks more like an ombré," Before Jace whipped around, touched his hair, and called out, _"Clary! _Oh no you didn't—"

"You said you would demonstrate it for me!" Clary protested as he began towards her, his hands outstretched. She knew they were about to dig into her sides so she leaped out of his grasp, giggling. "Still, it looks _remarkable _on you, right?"

"You little—" He dipped his fingers into the bucket before chasing after Clary as she slipped away, having had the foresight to flee before the situation deteriorated. Shrieking with laughter, she hollered out something along the lines of requesting assistance from Magnus's fifty-dollar shampoo as she ran, her heart light, away from Jace before he could catch up and tickle her.

…

Clary took a bite of her sandwich as Jace settled down next to her, patting at his hair. Dollops of the dried orange paint clung to his hair, undetached as he effortlessly reached up to grab at it. "It's slightly better now. It felt like canned SnacKit tuna when it was wet."

She snickered. "Don't worry, Jace. It'll come out in no time, although I really won't mind making it permanent."

A lightbulb appeared sneakily above her head (Although this thought will again come to Clary sometime later).

Jace's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

Clary laughed, storing the lightbulb away as she took another bite. Earlier, they'd knocked over a bucket of paint and had sent somebody's paintbrush tumbling down the small slope, and so they'd been assigned to work away from each other.

And Madame Dorothea had told them she'd trusted them to work cooperatively.

It was strange, she thought. This was perhaps one of the little times when they'd gotten along with each other. Not exactly _getting along, _but, well…

It was also surprising. How long ago had she been unbelieving and untrusting of him?

"Have you finally gotten a taste of your own medicine, Jace?" She teased, eyeing the back of his head. "You finally know what it feels like to _have red hair."_

"Yeah," He muttered. Slowly and suddenly he reached forward and twined his fingers around a curl of her hair.

"Uh, what are you doing?" She asked, startled.

"Do people give you a lot of shit for it?" Jace asked, his tone slightly dazed, drawing his finger back from her hair.

She rolled her eyes. "No. Only you do, actually." That was a lie, but she was sure he knew perfectly well that it'd always been laughed at even when he wasn't there. "In fact, I'm pretty sure this conversation exists because of the shit you give me for my hair."

"I'm sorry," He mumbled.

_Hold up— what?_

"You've been acting really weird these past two days, Jace," Clary spoke unsteadily. "First you speak in riddles, then you break up with your longtime girlfriend, and now you apologize. Have you forgotten to take your pills? Or have I gone insane?"

He gave a short, amused laugh, though it didn't seem to reach his gold eyes. He didn't say anything in return, either.

Unnerved, she returned to her sandwich.

…

They'd finished painting the wall after four straight hours, just about time for dismissal. On the agenda for later were free time, dinner, and then the campfire. She would definitely treasure the time she would spend sitting in front of the campfire, marshmallow stick outstretched, finalizing the last ingredient for a s'more.

Clary wouldn't hesitate to say that campfires were her favorite part of the week.

She stood up from her desk the moment Dorothea dismissed them from the studio. Jace waved her a goodbye, and so she responded good-naturedly with one of her own. She'd had fun, after all. She could call it that…?

Briefly she wondered if this was what Alec would call _giving Jace a shot._

Or had it been nothing? Had it been just another moment in a million? Had it been another one of Jace's antics, one which he'd been using on—

But he'd apologized.

Her mind chastised her as she swung her tote over her shoulder, heading out of the studio to look for her friends. _Not just yet, Fray. Not just yet._

* * *

**_author's note: _**_plotholes and such. attempting to swerve to avoid them like..._

_please tell me what you thought of this in that review box below! x_

_p.s. i update around once a week. just noting this down here._

_-nicole_


	6. six

_**author's note: **if you are emma/eily, hi. _

_HEEEY EVERYONE! i'm back with a new chapter, this time extra long. finally a 2k word long chapter, ehehehhe. hopefully i'll be able to keep up to this length. well, __it isn't helping that spring break ends today and school starts tomorrow... ;-;_

_guest review responses! (the responses are listed in the order of most and least recent) i decided to begin responding to users through PM to avoid very very long ANs. there were many reviews for the last chapter, and i thank you for that! please continue being my fantabulous reviewers! xx_

**_Guest 1:_**_ :D_

**_Guest 2:_**_ thank you! here it issss_

**_Guest 3:_**_ thankss! i'm glad you enjoyed it xx_

**_Guest 4:_**_ aw, thank you! that means a lot to me_

**_Meeeeeee:_**_ ahhh i still have to count how many 'e's there are. i will keep that in mind. seven. seven. anyway, thank you so much! you'll see more of jace and his antics in here... ;)_

_enjoy! x_

* * *

…

**clary**

"So how was art?" Maia asked cheerfully, slinging an arm over her shoulders as they headed to the campfire. "Kaelie was sulking the whole time we were there. She was crying so much she was sent to the bathroom."

"And she never returned," Isabelle spoke, jumping in.

Clary snorted, although a part of her couldn't help but feel slightly bad for Kaelie. "It was… kinda weird. I don't know if you've heard or not, but Jace joined art because Simon left."

"Yep. I have heard. Kaelie was bitching about _that,_ too." Her friend paused. "So… _Jace, _in replacement of Simon?" She wiggled her eyebrows. "It's a sign."

Clary rolled her eyes and looked up at the sky. It was darkening, the remnants of day stripped away by the subdued streaks of sunset orange. Soon it would fade back into the vast background of navy blue.

The sight would have been nothing special one year ago, when she'd been around sixteen, but now she found it magnificent. "Can you believe it'll be over soon?" She murmured as she turned back to Izzy and Maia. "I'll be seventeen in a week and a half."

They were caught up in some other conversation, and so they didn't hear her. Looking away, Clary's eyes flickered back forwards, towards the extended version of the Green.

Soon they'd reached the area. The girls of cabin three took an empty spot right of the unlit campfire setup, settling down to wait for the others. Clary spotted a couple bags of marshmallows and graham crackers, complete with bars and bars of chocolate.

Smiling, she looked up to see Alec opposite them. She spotted the glittery Magnus Bane the moment she lifted her hand to wave at him, sitting dangerously close to the blue-eyed boy. Clary laughed as Magnus waved back and as the tips of Alec's ears went pink.

They started singing campfire songs as the sky darkened, the hushed murmurs and the sound of around a hundred teenagers singing bringing Clary a sense of peace and home. When they began roasting the marshmallows for the s'mores, she felt a nudge on her shoulder. Maia.

She lifted her head to see Alec and Magnus kissing, surrounded by their roommates' rowdy chatter, their faces illuminated by the gentle, fiery glow. Jace was there too. In fact, he seemed to be cheering them on.

He looked up, saw her, and winked.

Clary looked away.

Alec and Magnus didn't seem afraid, embarrassed, or anything like that at all, even though everyone was gaping at them. Izzy, especially. Her mouth was wide open.

She smiled. When it came to an overnight camp, being gay definitely had its benefits.

"Oh, _jeez!" _Came a high pitched voice. Her head snapped up to see Magnus, over on the other side, pulling a marshmallow out from the fire. "This was mine, wasn't it? It's _burnt to the bone!"_

Someone echoed her laughter— Alec.

…

Clary woke up in her bed, staring up at the ceiling— today they had water sports.

It seemed as if she was the only girl who'd brought a one-piece swimsuit this year. In fact, she _was. _It wasn't at all bad, Clary decided, for the swimsuit was emerald green and was fringed at its neckline.

"Good," She muttered as she headed out of the changing rooms with Izzy, a towel draped over her shoulder. Fortunately her friend had picked water sports for her third day as well, so she wouldn't exactly be alone. She wasn't sure if Jace was going to be there...

"We'll be windsurfing!" Izzy announced, practically radiating with excitement. "I heard from someone who did it yesterday!"

"Windsurfing?" Clary's green eyes went wide. "That sport where you have to cling onto one of those—" She paused, making a gesture with her hands— "Surfboard thingies with sails?"

Izzy took in her alarmed expression and promptly threw an arm around her shoulder. "It'll be alright, Clary. Don't be afraid to try new things. We're at _summer camp, _after all."

She nodded her head firmly. "I'm _not_ afraid to try new things. I'm just worried I'll… fall off and drown in front of everyone and stuff. Like, would you want that to—"

Izzy sighed. "Clary, we had surfing almost every year before this. We fell off our boards plenty of times in front of everyone."

Clary closed her mouth and continued walking alongside her.

"It'll be fun, Clary! Think of it as a last-year treat!"

Clary managed a smile which was still weak on the edges. When she was not looking, her eyes flickered to look at Isabelle, gorgeous in a brightly colored bikini, her pale skin a contrast to the bold turquoise. Her hair was twisted in an updo on her head, her hairtie a perfect match with her 'I don't give a shit' pink lipstick.

Clary wished she had her confidence.

...

Izzy was right— multiple windsurf boards were placed on the grass beside Lake Lyn. Eighteen of their campmates were seated beside the stuff, dressed in their swim gear, their heads lifted in acknowledgement of the instructor, Hodge and their counsellor, Madeleine.

Clary scanned her campmates, a little jolt coursing through her the moment she spotted Jace's blonde head. Mentally she groaned, not because he was here, but instead because of how _he _would have to spectate her slipping off the board and embarrassing herself.

Clary and Izzy placed their bags aside and moved somewhere towards the back of the group, settling down just as Hodge turned and lifted a board.

"Today's a windy day, so yeah, that's great for windsurfing. This is the windsurf board you'll be using," He said, gesturing to the equipment. "I trust that a fair amount of you are beginners, so these will do nicely."

Clary swallowed, and hung onto every word he then spoke. They were instructions, for accurate holding and placement of the position and such, and before she knew it he'd finished his demonstration.

"We'll be beginning now. These first two hours will be practice and for the third we'll have a competition." Hodge grinned, finishing off his talk. "Sounds good?"

"Yes," Clary said, joining in the others. Out of her peripheral she saw Izzy send a surprised glance her way, though she was sure she was surprised in a good way. Truthfully she wasn't sure about the competition, but she would probably fare well for practice…? After all, it was how anything and everything began.

"Alright!" Hodge announced, and proceeded to release them towards the windsurf boards and the life vests. Clary was one of the last to get to the equipment— she snagged one board, one that was the only thing that was left before turning to the pile of life vests.

The nonexistent pile of life vests. Everyone except her seemed to have taken one. There was none left.

"Uh, maybe somebody could have taken two?" Izzy spoke.

Clary twisted her head to look at the people gliding smoothly through the waters of the lake. "Or maybe not. There seem to be nineteen life vests and not twenty."

"Do you want mine?" Isabelle asked, extending her hand to give her her vest.

Naturally she felt bad, so she shook her head. "Of course not, Iz. Go ahead, go in the water. I'll ask Madeleine or Hodge."

Izzy nodded, lingering for a little while as Clary headed towards Madeleine. Moments later she was gone, and was then dragging her board into the water. Soon she sensed somebody's footsteps somewhere behind her.

She stopped and turned around.

It was Jace, shirtless, his body already wet. Behind him she saw his windsurf board beside her own, lying flat on the grass. It seemed as if he'd already finished an entire round on the lake.

She hadn't given the whole… situation from yesterday much thought. But now it hit her full-on, like a brick slapping her face.

Droplets of water were in his hair, the orange streak still prominent. His life vest was unclasped, soon in his hands as he jogged towards her. "Hey! Cutie in the green swimsuit!"

How did it go from _Carrot _to _Cutie?_

She flushed, momentarily stunned, and glared at him. "What do you want?"

He stopped in front of her, extending the life vest to her, grinning. "You need this?"

Clary shook her head stubbornly, her gaze again trained on his face. _Jeez, he's hot._ "N— No. Go back in the water, Jace."

"Well, you don't seem to have one," He said, sticking the orange vest out again towards her. "And you seem to need it more than I do, so…" A lazy smile began at the corners of his lips.

_Dickhead. He had to ruin it. _"You haven't even seen me windsurf yet," Clary delivered, glaring at him. Turning back around, she left him alone and continued stalking towards Madeleine and Hodge. "Besides, I'm going to get my own."

"Yes, Clary?" Madeleine offered Clary a kind smile once she stopped in front of her.

"Uh," She began. "I'm missing a life jacket. There's none left."

She craned her neck to look at the pile, and to the students who'd seemed to be already doing well on the lake. Some were slipping off their boards, some had sails which seemed ready to collapse into the water, but overall they were learning. "Oh, no. That's a problem." She turned to Hodge, who moments later offered a shake of his head. "I didn't realize we were missing one… Hold on. Wait here, I'll check somewhere."

Madeleine then left the area. Ten minutes later she returned, her hands empty. "There's none left at the shed. Don't worry, dear. I'm sure it'll turn up soon."

Clary nodded, looking from her to everyone else on the lake. Izzy seemed to be looking this way, though both her hands were hooked on the sail, which was propelling her gracefully through the waves. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kaelie, who seemed to be tailing after her.

Clary cocked an eyebrow. _What a recovery. Yesterday she was supposedly bawling her eyes out..._

Someone slipped in front of Izzy, and landed into the water with a _splash._

She looked away. "It's... okay. Thanks, Madeleine."

Madeleine shook her head. "We could borrow from somebody, although that wouldn't work… It's alright. Maybe you could practice in the shallow end for a while, Clary?"

"Unless you feel particularly brave," Hodge inputted jokingly.

Clary nodded again, managing another weak smile and a "thanks". _Shallow end it is. _

She carried the board to another side of the lake, somewhere where the water was particularly shallow. To attempt to cheer herself up, she tried to tell herself that it was better to have a spot all for herself rather than joining everybody else.

Clary positioned herself on the board just how Hodge had instructed them to. There was a great deal of work to complete, but by chanting _steady, steady, steady _over and over again in her head, she'd managed to acquire a stable wave.

Her board set off, and so she was gliding on the water.

_Oh? _Clary perked up, looking down at the board and then up towards the sail. _This isn't that hard, is it?_

As if on cue, her right foot slipped and teetered a little sideways off of the board. Once she managed to regain her footing, she smiled. Hopefully this was similar to ice-skating. After all, she'd taught herself how to ice skate.

…

Two hours had passed before she knew it. They sat on the Green for lunch, towels wrapped around their bodies even though it was scorching.

Jace broke apart from his friends and came over. "I saw you there," He remarked. "In your personal little corner. You didn't seem to have a problem."

Izzy cocked her head at Clary, as if to say— _See? Even Jace agrees._

She shot her a glance of her own. "Everyone was doing good. Not just me."

"Well, I'm impressed. Turns out you didn't actually need that life vest. It must have been your... _remarkable_ size."

Clary snorted. "Yeah. Let me add that to the list of benefits my size gives me. Right now it's…" She glanced up, as if she was deep in thought. "The first."

"I'm sure you'll do pretty good in the competition," He said, his eyes sparkling as he reached behind his head. Clary assumed he was going to pull at the hair she'd painted. "The rest of the paint came out just now, by the way. Your plan has failed."

She gave him a light-lipped smile. "We'll see about that."

He narrowed his eyes at her playfully, his expression twisting into an "I'm skeptical" face. When she laughed, he again grinned and sat back to regard them both. "So, competition."

They nodded. "Competition," Izzy repeated, sounding bored.

"Twenty people, males _and _females, windsurfing all at once," He said, another devilish grin blooming on his features. "It'll be hectic. But hopefully I'll beat all the girls."

"We'll also see about that," Clary said, not missing a beat. Suddenly, her surroundings came into clear focus. Including her visions of the competition.

_Whoa, where'd that come from?_

* * *

**_author's note: _**_let's pretend hodge is in his 20s, shall we?_

_obviously this competition will be next chapter. but anyway, MALEEEC! that wasn't a lot of malec, but there still was malec. __i've got the majority of this story outlined, so i'm pretty sure i know what i'm doing. FINALLY:D_

_please review! drop a comment or two, and... tell me what you think will happen next! as for jace PoV, those won't be a long way away. thanks x_

_p.s. i don't windsurf, so please tell me if i have gone wrong up there. :'D_

_-nicole_


	7. seven

**_author's note: _**_wHEW, i made it just in time. i'm sorry, everyone! i had quite a busy back-to-school week. unfortunately there are even more assessments i have to deal with next week starting tomorrow... eh. i know nobody wants to hear this crap, but __the next update will be probably be slowed down... sorry! :(_

_on a much brighter note, 84 REVIEWS WOW THANK YOU SO SO MUCH_

_guest reviews!_

**_Jerrikah:_**_ hi, jerri! thankyouthankyouthankyou! here's the new chapter. i hope you like it! x_

**_Guest:_**_ thank you. ;)_

**_Guest 2:_**_ here is your update! please enjoyy_

**_Meeeeeee:_**_ hi again! ALL THE SHIPS. but yeah everything'll happen below;D_

**_Guest 3: _**_BANTER BANTER BANTER BANTER_

_here goes!_

* * *

…

**clary**

They were all situated at the edge of the lake, together in a line, ready for a competition. She was the only one without a life jacket, though. Clary knew that it didn't exactly make a difference whatsoever, but still she felt kind of light.

Clary knew that she wasn't all up into coming first, for it was going to be impossible, but still she didn't want to be the first to flail into the water. If that was to happen, then she would be disqualified.

Her lifejacketless situation was another thing, too. She could swim if she ever fell, but she wouldn't be able to swim to her abilities if her eyes were stinging.

"Three!" Hodge's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. He'd spoke of safety precautions earlier, but Clary had told him that she was confident.

Her eyes flickered to Izzy, who was beside her. She gave her a grin.

"Two!" Clary blinked and looked further, eyes darting past a hostile Kaelie to spot Jace. He wasn't looking at her, for he was looking forwards, determination set on his features. _Hmm…_

She forced her eyes back forwards to avoid herself from being distracted just as Hodge announced "Go!"

_Okay, I must have missed one._

With a sudden, forceful jerk of her limbs, Clary was sailing forwards. Everybody was going the same pace, but when they were a fifth in it was clear who was leading. Malcom, it seemed. Malcom, and Catarina.

Miraculously Clary was managing to keep her balance on the water, like how she'd told herself to do earlier. She kept her front arm straight, her weight on the other foot…

It felt good. The wind ruffled her hair as she again straightened up her back, squinting at the other side of the lake. There was distance, a lot of it. The flag was speared through the ground at the other end, marking the area where they were to stop.

She shifted her weight back to her right foot when her mast dipped forwards, slowing her down for just the slightest bit. _Focus. _Then she was back on it once more, ever so steady.

Then there was a _splash. _

Clary caught a glimpse of the person who fell swimming to the shore with his board as she dared her eyes to flicker right. Kirk. She then resumed her focus on the other side.

A third in, she was still on the water.

Halfway in, she remained on the waves.

How, she wasn't sure. She steered her board to avoid swerving into somebody else's path. Izzy fell into the water with a careless slip, and only then did Clary realize that there were not too many of them left. Jace was there, she saw, and she allowed her head turned sideways just for a moment to watch his surfer haircut glint in the sun.

She willed her eyes to go back to the flag. They did, and so she didn't even realize as Jace shouted _hi _to her. He then kerplunked into the water.

When she heard that, she looked sideways for a fleeting moment to see who'd fell. The moment her eyes landed on Jace, his life jacket lifting him from the water, she began to laugh. "Hi!"

Clary'd almost toppled into the water, slowing considerably, when she again regained her footing from a narrow miss. _Not bad for a beginner. _

It didn't occur to her until there were few left. It hadn't ever occurred to her that she could win. But now she saw visions of herself getting to the end first and as she hugged Izzy.

_I have no idea how I have gotten here._

She was reaching the end. There were three other people now. Squinting through the spray of water she saw Kaelie's blonde head. _Kaelie. _And beyond that, she saw her icy blue eyes, fixated on her own.

_Honestly._

She drove herself forwards, then, turning away from Kaelie. Her sight was filled with the bright flag and the celebrations that were to come, her ears with the rushing of water, the chanting of names and the sharp, piercing sound of a whistle. Her tongue tasted the flavor of summer.

All of a sudden, she was interrupted with a harsh jostle on her board. Her mast leaned narrowly to the right, the sudden impact allowing her body to jerk sideways. Quickly she braced herself towards the left, though it was risky for she was balancing herself mid-air.

_Kaelie._

"What the hell?" She barked as she regained her steady position. Kaelie had her cornered by the side of the lake now, the side where everybody disqualified stood at. Kaelie bumped Clary's board again, this time lighter, for she herself was fighting to keep steady.

"Stop!" Normally Clary would flee, but this time she aimed straight for Kaelie's own board. Tightly she grasped on her outhaul and jerked the board sideways, attempting to knock Kaelie flat off of her board.

Didn't work.

Everybody seemed to see what was going on, for the chanting had intensified. _Clary, _she heard. _Clary, _and _Kaelie. _For a brief second she thought she'd heard Hodge scream _hey, _when the final blow rained down on her. With another collision, this time harsher than the others, Clary had herself knocked from her board.

_Going, going, gone._

With her eyes wide open, the impact had her submerged deep into the waters of Lake Lyn. She saw the light on the waves above, and that was for one single second before she snapped her stinging eyes shut. There was the burning, highly unpleasant sensation in her nose, for so much lakewater had went up her nostrils.

_Ow._

For a moment she'd forgotten how to swim. She kicked with her legs, her eyes squeezed shut, mouth pressed together, attempting to propel herself upwards. _Shit, I had no idea how deep this lake actually is. _

Soon she felt the rushing of water beside her. _Must have gotten out. _

But no.

An arm wrapped around her small waist. She felt somebody touch her through the thin material of her swimsuit, fingers sturdy on her side. Soon she was fully enveloped against a chest, a _bare chest, _and with an unknown force she was then steadily propelled up from the depths of Lake Lyn, up towards the surface.

Clary opened her eyes, coughing out lakewater. She was in broad daylight, the sight of the trees and the green grass and the familiar surroundings of Camp Lake Lyn once again around her. Her campmates were at the side of the lake, entirely silenced, their mouths dropped open in bafflement.

She turned her head sideways to see Jace's features up close. Very, very close. His eyes were round and luminous, whites tinged with the beginnings of red. A droplet of water trickled down the side of his head, from his hair, which was pasted to the sides of his face.

He looked startled.

With one hand he pushed his hair backwards. The other he had wrapped around her waist.

She wanted to kiss him right there.

But she didn't. Forcing that feeling away, she drew back from him as everybody hooted and erupted in cheers. She wriggled from his grasp and then turned around and swum wearily away, back towards the shore.

…

"Clary!"

Clary slowly lifted her head up to see Izzy, her figure growing larger as she jogged closer to her. She herself was seated against the trunk of a maple tree at an edge of the Green, even though she was supposed to be heading back to her cabin.

In fact, she didn't even wait for dismissal from Water Sports. She'd simply left the scene the moment she'd reached the shore.

She'd wanted time to process it all.

Clary cracked a weak smile at her approaching friend, hoping that she didn't, _didn't _begin screeching and squealing and wailing about what had happened earlier.

It wasn't a big deal. It _wasn't. _Just because some bitch had shoved her into a lake…

"Hi."

Izzy settled down beside her, her dark eyes wide. "Are you okay?"

Clary wrapped the towel tighter around her shoulders. It was July, they were in sweltering summer temperatures, and so it was unreasonable for her to feel cold. But she did. She was cold. Chilly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I thanked Jace."

Clary frowned and stared at the ground, her cheeks growing warm. All of a sudden she was angry. "I didn't need him to frickin' do that. Whydid he do that? He knew perfectly well that I have the ability to make my way to the surface. Why did _you—_"

Izzy interrupted her, shooting her a pointed look in the process. "Clary, he did it, anyway."

She didn't continue with her rant, even though she had grown even more annoyed at what Izzy had said. Instead she turned away from the subject and went ahead for a forced laugh. "You know, he was supposed to be the one to knock me into the lake."

Izzy caught on quickly with a tiny lopsided smile. "And what? Kaelie's supposed to be the one who saves you?"

She smiled, and shook her head. "Okay. So who won?"

"Malcom Fade," Izzy replied. After another pause, she said, "You know, Clary, we'll probably have to get back at Kaelie for doing this. You don't let somebody like her knock you down— literally."

"Nope," Clary shook her head slowly, after another abrupt pause. "No, We don't. Not this time, anyway. It's already happened. And besides, Hodge and Madeleine are probably dealing with her right now, anyway."

Izzy cocked an eyebrow. "Wait, what?"

"Jace," Clary spoke up with a sudden realization as she began to put two and two together. "You guys talked about it earlier. According to you guys, Kaelie hates me even more now because of Jace. If that's true, she pushed me into the lake because she wasn't about to let me do anything else to be competition for her in any way, since there's all that crap about me having _her _Jace. But it all blew up in her face, didn't it?"

Izzy nodded, gesturing for her to continue.

"So," She drawled. "Jace did that only because he wanted to wind Kaelie up even further, even after breaking up with her."

It was, for a reason, painful to say. Just when she'd beginning to think that Jace was not such a dickhead after all. Was that even the explanation to why he'd been acting so weird these past days?

A strange, small part of her wanted that to not be the reason he had dove into the lake for her.

It was a disappointment, really. Jace was using her for Kaelie's misery. Now that the sinking realization had slapped her in the face, she was not about to let it happen again, even if it meant that Kaelie would be getting what she deserved.

Isabelle cocked an eyebrow. Her tone was one of the unconvinced, but Clary paid no attention. "Jeez, he must _really_ hate Kaelie, then."

Clary gave a listless shrug of her shoulders. "Karma bites."

* * *

**_author's note: _**_yeah, i know. clary is very stubborn and very unlikable. hopefully it's not that bad..._

_please review and tell me what you thought of this! we're kind of close to 100 reviews... it'll be really amazing if i get there next chapter! can we try? :D_

_see y'all soon!_

_-nicole_


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